Just seven days after Great Yarmouth Borough Council stopped its collection service from 10 waterside locations, heaps of rubbish have been bundled next to two bins in Thurne.

The unsightly piles have sparked disgust from residents who fear it will put the environment at risk - as well as valuable tourism.

Malcolm Duffield, who has lived in the village for more than 10 years, said the council’s decision had reduced Thurne to a “rubbish tip”.

“Wherever there used to be collection points people are just going to drop their bags off and we’re going to end up with bags of rubbish strewn all around the Broadland areas,” he added. “It’s a service for people who bring money into the area.”

Holidaymakers used to drop their rubbish at compounds in the village. But since these have been taken away they have resorted to leaving their rubbish in public bins, which have quickly filled up and started to overflow.

The borough council scrapped the service as it said the waste from visiting boaters was commercial, which it does not have a legal responsibility to collect, and the £15,000 cost was already stretching its tight budget.

But Mr Duffield, 57, thought the cost of clearing the rubbish would end up costing the authority more than £15,000.

He said: “This is not only going to happen in Thurne but also the other nine places where the service has been removed. How can such action be justified in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and what has been described as one of the most important wetlands in the country?

“One can only hope the council will see sense and restore this valuable service.”

A council spokesman said they had been made aware of the rubbish and the authority was in talks with the landowner.

They added: “We will continue to monitor and act as necessary in relation to waste.”